Burns Research and Reconstructive Surgery

The group researches all aspects of Burn Care and specialises in tissue engineering of 3 dimensional skin substitutes for sever burns patients. Cultured Epithelium Autografts (CEA) is a well established technique to create large numbers of skin cell for resurfacing of wounds. Unfortunately these cultured cells do not have the same physical properties as normal human skin cells as they are missing the interaction with deeper tissue layers.

Our laboratory is committed to improve the cultured skin autograft technology by developing three-dimensional dermal substitutes and skin equivalents for treating deep burn wounds. Using technologies including tissue culture, cell biology, molecular biology and, cellular and tissue engineering, we have been trying to produce different biological scaffolds that are biologically
compatible, safe and suitable for skin cells to attach and grow. The scaffold could be used for repairing the damaged dermal bed or for engineering autologous skin substitute with skin structures comparable to normal human skin, which includes epidermis, dermal components, pigment cells and microvascular vessels under laboratory conditions. The research and development of tissue-engineered scaffold, dermal and skin equivalents will benefit not only the burns patients but also the patients with other skin defects such as chronic, diabetic and pressure skin ulcers.

Our research projects:

• A Randomised Multi - Centred Trial to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Cultured Epithelial Autografts (CEA) in Combination with a Meshed (4:1) Split Skin Graft (SSG) after Debridement of a Burn Wound
  P Maitz, Z Li, K Neuwendyk, J Harvey, J Vandervord, A Phoon, S Taggard, P Kennedy
  Full details here
  
  
• A Clinical Evaluation of Efficacy and Safety of Cultured Epithelial Autograft (CEA) Suspension Applied to a Donor Site on a Burn Injured Patient
  P Maitz, P Kennedy, Z Li , S Taggart, T Leong, K Nieuwendyk
  Full details here
  
  
• Skin Repair: Tissue Engineering using Synthetic Elastin
  J Rnjak, Z Li, P Maitz, AS Weiss
  Full details here
  
  
• Identifying the Diffusible Factor(s) Produced by Skin Cells Grown on Tropoelastin Scaffolds
  J Almine, Z Li, P Maitz, AS Weiss
  Full details here
  
  
• Skin Cell Culture on Hollow Fibre-Collagen Scaffold
  C Shu, M Lord, C McFarland, P Maitz, Z Li
  Full details here
  
  
• Skin Tissue Engineering Using a Biodegradable Polymer
  Y Wang, D Martínez Tobón, A Taylor, P Maitz, Z Li
  Full details here
  
  
• Efficacy and Safety of Engineered Skin Substitute and Dressing Materials on Skin Wound Healing: A Mouse Model Study
  Y Wang, K Neuwiendyk, J Rnjak, P Maitz and Z Li
  Full details here
  
  
• Quality Assessment of Meshed Skin Graft Temporally Stored at 4°C
  Z Li, P Maitz,C Overend, J Ledgard, K Kennedy
  Full details here
  
  
• Toxic Effect of Myoglobin on Kidney Function in Burns Patients
  S Perry, Z Li, P Maitz, D Millis, P Witting
  Full details here
  
  
• Biofilm and Infection of Burn Wound
  P Kennedy, S Brammah, E Wills
  Full details here